Thor: The Dark World Review

Thor: The Dark World is an arcade pseudo beat-em up arcade game that also serves as an official Android companion game to the movie of the same name.

The game is nice to look at. Thor’s hair has the golden yellow halo effect, and the virtual environment is a fine interpretation of of cinematic imagination. Bright colors, interesting beasts and nicely animated characters rolling to the booming voice of Thorish proclamations. There is a judicious use of color, and while some of the animations are a bit formulaic they are altogether hard not to enjoy.

Play-wise, the game, as noted, is a leveled task oriented arcade type of game. The storyline loosely follows the movie canon, with familiar characters and a whole lot of enemies to dispatch.

It wouldn’t be a Norse epic without Mjolnir, and Thor’s famed boomeranging weapon takes front and center in this game. Waves of enemies try to deplete Odinson’s life source, but of course our protagonist has some major advantages. Controlling the action is mostly done through single and multi-touch taps, and a gesture here and there. Taps control melee attacks, hammer attacks and are also used to summon help from among the available forces on Thor’s side. As Thor makes his way through the levels, the baddies become more formidable, with mini-bosses and major bosses coming in at the appropriate junctions. The overall objective to get through some crystals and to have Thor’s life bar outlast that of the bad guys.

There is gold to be had, and there are plenty of upgrade options available; it’s possible to increase attributes of Thor and even his hammer.

In the end, Thor’s easy feel lends to its struggles. After a few rounds, it tastes too familiar in its repetitiveness. It is cool to see known enemies, but the plot is overly simplistic.

It’s free to play, is based on a box office winner and involves golden hair and a hammer. It just might be worth checking out.

Thor: The Dark World Review Rundown

8

Graphics/Sound - Expressive graphics and stately sounds.

7.5

Controls - Virtual taps on buttons framing the playing area.

7

Gameplay - Fun, objective based gameplay.

8

Replay Value - Quite addictive.

7.5

Overall - Great arcade title with movie tie-ins that make even more compelling.